Although the Black Wind people were best known for their disobedience and ruthlessness in the Imperium, their leader and commander, who had led the defeated soldiers of five Sectors to sail for a hundred years and kept the unity and steadiness of the fleet even though nothing had been found, was certainly not a reckless man.

　　Heiye Ming, Heiye Lan’s father and the Black Wind Fleet’s commander, definitely would not make a rash decision when the situation of the enemy was unclear.

　　After he learned the truth about his ‘prey’, knowing that he was faced with not a single Sector as they had thought when they set sail a hundred years ago, but a country seven times larger with seven highly-developed worlds, as well as Firefly, which belonged to the government-in-exile of the Star Ocean Republic and Kunlun, a star fortress during the primeval wars, he was even more reluctant to make a move without more information.

　　Leading the Black Wind Fleet, Heiye Ming anchored near the brown dwarf that he had carefully chosen. He began to repair the wear and tear caused during the journey in the past hundred years. The experts in the hibernation state were woken up one after another, too. The enormous fleet was gradually unfolded from the ‘cruise state’ to the ‘war-preparation state’. Star beacons and spiritual towers were established to receive messages from the homeland of the Imperium. A lot of spies were also sent to sneak into the federation in super-tiny single stealth shuttles to collect the latest intelligence, corrupt the leadership, and find and make openings!

　　Should he assault the Star Glory Federation with his own strength, or should he stand by and ask for reinforcements so that he could finish the enemy with a more overwhelming army?

　　It depended on his infiltration in the federation and whether or not he could find an opportunity to defeat the enemy quickly. But it also depended on the situation in the homeland of the Imperium.

　　The Black Wind Fleet had left the homeland of the Imperium a hundred years prior. To some extent, it was sort of a ‘forgotten army’.

　　They had set up star beacons and spiritual towers every time they arrived at a new space zone, creating a communication route that linked the homeland of the Imperium. But there was too much interference in space after all. The further away they were from the homeland of the Imperium, the more likely their communication routes would be jammed or even torn apart by cosmic storms, and the more time and resources it would consume during every communication.

　　For the Black Wind Fleet, which was short of supplies and resources, to maintain real-time communication with the homeland for a long time was not an easy task at all.

　　Besides, the messages sent from the homeland and the capital city were the messages that the emperor, nobles, and warlords wanted him to know. They must have been highly embroidered, if not entirely fabricated, and far from the truth.

　　The Black Wind Fleet had been a powerful force in the Imperium for hundreds of years. Naturally, they had a news network that was absolutely dependable and solely belonged to them, but the real intelligence transmitted through such a network could barely be delivered in real time.

　　Considering all the factors, after reaching the edge of the cosmos through a prolonged journey of a hundred years, for the Black Wind Fleet and their commander Heiye Ming, the so-called Imperium of True Human Beings had been completely enshrouded in the mysterious mists, making it hard to figure out the truth in it. It was even more enigmatic and unpredictable than the strange ‘federation’ in front of their eyes.

　　Personally speaking, Heiye Ming did not want to summon new reinforcements, preferring to solve the problem on his own.

　　It was a matter of honor and capabilities. The prey was just a bunch of barbarians at the desolate edge of the cosmos, and they were the elite force from the center of the cosmos, an invincible army!

　　If they were forced to summon reinforcements, would it not be a great humiliation for the Black Wing Fleet? Who on earth would believe in their power, notoriety, and threat in the future?

　　In the Imperium, it was a terribly dangerous thing to lose the ability to threaten.

　　Furthermore, the prey was so fat and appealing. The warships and wharfs in the Flying Star Sector and the Uranian Ring Sector, the abundant labor force in the Blood Demon Sector and the Heaven’s Origin Sector where so many experts could be absorbed into the Black Wind Fleet as warriors for the Imperium, and Kunlun and Firefly. They were enough to boost the Black Wind Fleet into one of the top-tier forces in the Imperium!

　　Heiye Ming was highly reluctant to share such fat, delicious prey with somebody else.

　　Once the message was sent, it would be beyond his control as to exactly whether or not any reinforcements would come and how many of them would come if they did.

　　It would be quite awkward if the war at the frontline was too intense and the Imperium could not spare any reinforcements for them. But if he described the prey as too valuable, ten or more reinforcing armies might be sent from the homeland of the Imperium. Those armies would not be exhausted by a journey of a hundred years at all. They would be healthy, strong, well-trained, and full of supplies. After they jumped over, would there be anything left for the Black Wind Fleet at all? It would be an awkward situation.

　　Such concerns were of the same logic as Su Changfa and the other ‘pioneers’ of the Immortal Cultivators who discovered the high value of Kunlun a hundred years ago but were unwilling to summon Heiye Ming and the rest of the Black Wind Fleet.

　　However, as the commander of the Black Wind Fleet, Heiye Ming was more rational and paid more attention to the big picture than Su Changfa at that time.

　　If the mission was too difficult, he would not be too stubborn and place the entire Black Wind Fleet in peril.

　　After the spiritual towers and the first batch of star beacons were established, Heiye Ming did not activate the star beacons recklessly or report the real situation here to the homeland.

　　He kept the existence of the ‘Star Glory Federation’ to himself but simply reported to the homeland that no major discoveries had been found despite the long cruise at the edge of the universe and that the strategic resources on-board were running dry.

　　Now that they were about to arrive at the periphery of the range of the civilization of mankind expanded by the Star Ocean Imperium in the past, he asked the homeland if the expedition could be concluded and the desolate worlds that they had found before could be considered their final accomplishments and traded into contribution points so that they could return to the homeland.

　　But in secret, he demanded the intelligence network in the homeland that was loyal to the Black Wind Fleet to send the analysis of the latest developments in the Imperium and the Covenant Alliance at any cost.

　　The situation at the center of the cosmos was quite bad.

　　It was not because the Imperium of True Human Beings had suffered losses in the war. On the contrary, the Imperium had been fighting too smoothly and unstoppably in the past hundred years. Quite a few epic victories had been secured.

　　When there were victories, there would be new heroes, and the new heroes could possibly lead new forces to rise or revive the previously declining old forces. All in all, the balance among the previous forces and warlords would be shaken.

　　It was exactly the case right now. In the hundred-year war, a small family that had long declined and had not been heard about for almost two hundred years rose again and became one of the influential forces in the capital city.

　　What was bad was that the decline of the ‘long-declined’ small family had a lot to do with the Black Wind people. A lot of experts of the family had been killed by the Black Wind people.

　　Right now, the Black Wind Fleet had been banished to the edge of the cosmos, yet their old nemesis was prospering in the capital city securing one victory after another. Even the emperor had shown fondness for them. Was it not terrible for the Black Wind Fleet?

　　According to the intelligence on the surface, because of the smoothness of the war on the Imperium’s side in the past hundred years, the Imperium was planning an unprecedented strategic counterattack, hoping to change their role from the defender to the attacker. The elite forces of dozens of core worlds had been mobilized. Even if it might not be a ‘life-and-death’ battle with the Covenant Alliance, the Imperium was determined to completely reverse its losing trend in the past three hundred years with the next campaign!

　　At such a critical moment, how could the Imperium spare more forces to help the Black Wind Fleet fight a bunch of ‘barbarians’? Would it not be too absurd?

　　Then, his own intelligence network delivered messages in secret. The main focus of the strategic counterattack was probably going to be the worlds lost a hundred years ago including the Black Wind Sector. His Majesty seemed determined to recover the Black Wind Sector in the battle!

　　Things became awkward.

　　It was likely that the Imperium would perform a strategic counterattack and recover the Black Wind Sector, but the Black Wind Fleet was not involved in any of that.

　　The Black Wind Fleet had made zero contributions after wandering for a hundred years outside. By then, not only would be impossible for them to brazen themselves to ask for their hometown from His Majesty, they even risked being swallowed by the new forces that had earned countless military credits while they were away!

　　The Black Wind Fleet had been pushed to desperation. This was truly a moment of life and death.

　　At this moment, if they had reported the truth of the ‘Star Glory Federation’ dutifully to the homeland, the capital city would certainly ask them to stand by and keep the federation locked onto. Or, they would be asked to wage a war of attrition that would drain the strength of both the federation and themselves.

　　Then, after the Imperium completed the strategic counterattack and digested the Black Wind Sector and the other lost worlds, the so-called ‘reinforcements’ led by the Black Wind people’s old nemesis might be sent to reap the dying federation. There was no doubt that the Black Wind Fleet, which would be dying, would also be reaped mercilessly!

　　Heiye Ming had seen and done such things before!

　　He would not allow such a thing to happen. He would not allow the Black Wind Fleet to be a stepping stone for someone else!

　　The intelligence from the Imperium and that sent by the spies in the federation finally forced him to make up his mind.

　　He decided to do it on his own!

　　He was going to assault the Star Glory Federation with the Black Wind Fleet and the defeated soldiers of five Sectors, to swallow the remote country that had yet to rise and boasted infinite potential!

　　After the Star Glory Federation was swallowed, with the docks of the Uranian Ring Sector, cannon fodder of the Blood Demon Sector, warships of the Flying Star Sector, crystals of the Water Crystal Sector, and technology on Kunlun, combined with its own strength, the Black Wind Fleet would definitely be one of the toughest war monsters in the Imperium!

　　Only if he tamed such a ‘monster’ and took it back to the capital city would he have enough leverage to negotiate with the emperor, the warlords, and their old nemesis, and reclaim the Black Wind Sector and even other prosperous worlds at the center of the cosmos!

　　If they could not win the battle, the Black Wind Fleet would be doomed. They could only return to the Imperium in frustration. The proud name of ‘Black Wind’ would be gone forever!

　　Heiye Ming made the decision.

　　He would win the battle of survival for the Black Wind Fleet!